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This is your Northwest report for Thursday, February 23, I'm David Sparks and agri-pulse.com’s Daybreak is reporting “The Republican Congress is getting a unified message from farm groups, conservation organizations and nutrition advocates: Don’t cut the farm bill. More than 500 national, state and local farm, conservation and nutrition organizations have signed a letter urging the House and Senate budget committees not to propose cuts in the farm bill that this Congress will be writing.

“With the agriculture and rural economy struggling, households across the country struggling to meet their basic needs for nutrition, and farm income down 46 percent from only three years ago, it would be perilous to hinder development and passage of the 2018 Farm Bill with further cuts.”

Elsewhere, and according to Agri-Times Northwest, what is the number one state for Apple production, Concord grape production, spearmint oil production, hops production, pear production, production of wrinkled pea seeds and green peas for processing, and blueberries in cultivation, finally, sweet cherry production? With 37,000 farms and 15,000,000 acres of farmland, Washington state is known the world over for its agricultural products and food production capabilities.